The automatic belt tensioner in a 1995 Ford Aerostar minivan equipped with 3.0 V6 holds the serpentine belt on the engine pulleys through spring loaded tension. The tensioner has three main parts, the pulley, the spring loaded arm and the hub. While the bearings in the pulley can fail, the normal failure of a tensioner occurs when the spring loses its tension. When that happens the serpentine belt no longer has the pressure applied to it necessary to remain on the drive belt system. If your 1995 Aerostar suffers an automatic belt tensioner failure, you can replace it in about an hour if you have basic auto-repair skill.
Instructions
1. Open the Aerostar's hood and support it on the prop rod. Study the belt routing diagram, printed on the fan shroud or underside of the hood, to locate the automatic belt tensioner.
2. Move the Aerostar's belt tensioner off the belt using your serpentine belt tool. Pull the belt away from the tensioner before moving the tensioner back to its natural position. Remove the tool.
3. Remove the two bolts that hold the automatic belt tensioner to the Aerostar's front engine cover using your socket set. Depending on your size and dexterity, you may need to access the tensioner from above or below.
4. Pull the broken automatic tensioner out of the engine well by hand. Set the new tensioner in place. Thread the bolts through the tensioner and into the 3.0 V6's front cover by hand before tightening them with your socket set.
5. Reinstall the serpentine belt in reverse of how you removed it. Close the Aerostar's hood.
Tags: belt tensioner, automatic belt, automatic belt tensioner, serpentine belt, 1995 Ford, 1995 Ford Aerostar, Aerostar hood
